Ryutaro Hashimoto

Ryutaro Hashimoto (29 July 1937-1 July 2006) was Prime Minister of Japan from 11 January 1996 to 30 July 1998, succeeding Tomiichi Murayama and preceding Keizo Obuchi. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

Biography
Ryutaro Hashimoto was born in Soja, Okayama Prefecture, Japan in 1937, and he graduated from Keio University in 1960 before being elected to the National Diet three years later as a Jiminto member. Hashimoto rose in the ranks over the next 20 years, serving as Health Minister in 1978, Director of Finance and Public Administration in 1980, Transport Minister in 1986, and LDP Secretary-General in 1989. When Tomiichi Murayama stepped down in 1996, Hashimoto became the new Prime Minister, having served under him as Deputy Prime Minister. He became popular for confronting the United States about its unfair trade deals with Japan, and his popularity was based mostly on his attitude; when asked why Japanese car dealerships did not sell American cars, he responded by asking why IBM did not sell Fujitsu computers. In 1997, Hashimoto raised the consumption tax, but the hike had a negative effect on consumer demand. During the 1998 election, the LDP failed to restore its 1989 majority and instead lost seats, and he resigned to take responsibility for the failure.